Dutch and German intelligence services believe Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the deployment of the chemical agent chloropicrin, which can be deadly.

The assessment was revealed by the Dutch defense ministry on Friday, July 4. It said the conclusion on Russia’s use of chloropicrin is shared by the Dutch military and general intelligence services, MIVD and AIVD, and Germany’s foreign intelligence service, the BND.

Chloropicrin is banned in war under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Russia is already widely using tear gas, the Dutch defense ministry said, and called the deployment of chloropicrin a “grave violation” of the CWC.

“Russia is going ever further in deploying chemical weapons. It is happening systematically and on a substantial scale,” said Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans in a statement.

“This is a slippery slope. It is utterly unacceptable and again highlights the brutal aggressor Ukraine is facing.

“We are making this public now because the use of chemical weapons by Russia must not be normalized. If the threshold for deploying this type of weapon is lowered, it poses a danger not just to Ukraine, but to all of Europe and the world.

“More sanctions, further isolation of Russia, and unwavering military support for Ukraine are warranted.”

This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.